Golden Slumber
by fembuck
Summary: Alice and Bella share a quiet moment together in the hotel in Phoenix Twilight . Alice/Bella, Bella/Alice, femslash


Title:

**Title:** Golden Slumber  
**Author:** Janine  
**Fandom:** Twilight  
**Pairing:** Alice/Bella  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.  
**Note:** Takes place during the first book, while Bella is at the hotel in Phoenix with Alice and Jasper.

--

Bella awoke to the sensation of sweet smelling breath warming her face, and with her eyes still closed, she smiled.

As Bella opened her eyes, blinking, the darkness of the room and the disorientation of sleep confused her, and for a moment, she thought that she was back with Edward in Forks. However, the delicacy of the arm thrown across her waist, and the petiteness of the body behind her registered with her, and Bella knew that it was not Edward that was holding her but Alice; her other dashing protector.

"You're awake," Alice said.

Her voice was a song whose melody Bella could not resist, and even though she was surprised to find herself curled up in bed with Alice, Bella found her body relaxing into Alice's gentle hold.

Her back was facing Alice, but having spent so much time around the pixyish vampire over the past couple of days, Bella found that she had begun to get a read on what the different shifts and timbers of Alice's voice indicated, and she was certain that the lovely brunette was amused.

"How did you …?" Bella began to ask, pausing only when she felt Alice's body begin to vibrate with silent mirth.

"Your breathing changed," Alice said shifting a little, slim legs moving against Bella's in a way that Bella uncomfortably aware of her awareness of Alice's body and the way it felt moving against hers. "I think I scared you," the petite brunette continued a second later. "Just for a second," she finished playfully.

"Not scared really," Bella replied lightly, staring into the darkness of the room as she thought about how strange it was to feel Alice all around her, but not the resulting warmth that usually accompanied another body so close to her own. "Maybe a little surprised," she went on. "Speaking of which, I ah … I thought that you all didn't need to sleep."

"We don't," Alice confirmed softly, her voice melodious and lilting as ever, as if the conversation they were having were the most natural in the world. "I wasn't asleep, just lying down."

"Oh," Bella breathed out, eyebrows crinkling at the brevity and relative unhelpfulness of Alice's response. "Why here?" Bella asked a few seconds later deciding that she was going to have to go the direct route if she wanted to find out why she and Alice were snuggling.

"You had a nightmare," Alice said, a note of worry entering her usually breezy tone. "I came in to try and calm you down. When I was about to leave you grabbed my hand, so I sat down. And then I lay down. And I've been here since," she finished.

"Oh," Bella said again, making a mental note not to utter that again for a while lest Alice think that she was mentally deficient in some way. "Thanks," she continued beginning to feel embarrassed by her nocturnal neediness. "Sorry," she added becoming more and more mortified by herself.

"Don't be sorry," Alice said quickly, seeming to sense Bella self-chastisement. "You've had quite a shock, and are under an incredible amount of stress. It's only natural that it'd disturb your sleep … or so I hear," she added; that playful note back in her voice for a second. "I'm glad I could help," she went on, her hand moving so that it covered Bella's own. "Besides, this is kind of nice," she finished, shifting closer to Bella for a second before relaxing behind her again.

"What? Snuggling?" Bella asked confused by Alice's statement and by the way her heart beat picked up when Alice momentarily pressed up against her. She knew that breathing had probably changed again, and hoped that Alice was paying more attention to her question than her body, because she didn't even know how to explain the response to herself, let alone someone else.

"Yes," Alice said, practically purring. "You're so warm," she said giving a delighted little laugh. "It feels really … warm," she repeated happily, apparently deciding that that particular adjective encompassed all that needed to be said about the sensation.

Bella found herself smiling, Alice's delight and her verbal floundering relaxing her.

"I feel like Chester," Bella muttered good-naturedly as Alice returned her hand to her hip.

"Chester?" Alice questioned.

"Sorry," Bella laughed realizing that her reference was beyond obscure. "This girl I used to know had a dog named Chester. And, when it was cool out – or at least cool for Phoenix – she used to press her feet up against Chester's stomach to warm them up."

"Did Chester mind?" Alice asked curiously.

The question was innocuous enough, but Bella was certain that Alice was trying to get a read on whether or not she wanted Alice to give her some space.

"Not at all," Bella responded. "He actually really used to like it. She'd always rub his stomach at the same time, and he loved that," she went on, pausing briefly when she felt Alice begin to chuckle. "Not that I want you to like rub my stomach or anything," she added hastily. "I'm just saying I don't mind."

"Okay," Alice said, ignoring Bella's verbal diarrhea, much to Bella's relief. "Are you hungry?"

"Hungry?" Bella asked, surprised at the random change of subject.

"Edward said I should make sure to feed you when you wake up," Alice explained. Having no memory of being human herself she had absolutely no idea and took his words at face value.

"Only in the morning," Bella said both touched and amused by the information Alice had just shared. The small brunette seemed to be taking her job as protector quite seriously, and not only did that make Bella feel as safe as she could with a crazy vampire tracker after her, it also made her feel cared for. "After naps we're usually okay. Although I'm sure even three meals a day seems extravagant to you," she said shifting, turning around in the loose circle of Alice's arms so that they were lying face to face.

"It seems more bothersome than extravagant really," Alice said thoughtfully, keen eyes focused on Bella's, "Having to go to all that trouble three time a day. And you all get so cranky, or sleepy, when you miss even one. Either way, it seems bothersome."

Bella laughed softly, "Yeah, it can be bothersome at times. Hours wasted not just preparing food, but also thinking about what to prepare," Bella said sighing a little. "It must make things easier to have a menu with only one item on it."

"Well, it certainly saves time," Alice responded smiling a little. "Though it does present other difficulties," she continued a little sheepishly. "Don't worry though," she continued a second later. I'm not hungry either."

"I wasn't worried, really," Bella replied, holding Alice's eyes as she spoke. "I trust you," she said with complete sincerity, her hand squeezing Alice's as she spoke.

Alice smiled, and then laughed a little. "You're very … different. I can see why Edward's so terribly fond of you," Alice said, reaching out to press the backs of two cool fingers to Bella's warm cheek. "We all are, really."

"Not all," Bella said softly, dropping her gaze from Alice's, knowing that it was perhaps a bit immature to say given how welcoming the Cullen's had been. But she was unable to help herself.

"Don't worry about Rosalie," Alice said lightly, waving her hand dismissively as she spoke. "She's a worrier," Alice continued, her tone fond despite the frankness of her words. "She'll come around."

Bella nodded but said nothing. It wasn't just Rosalie that had been on her mind when she spoke.

"You're thinking about Jasper aren't you?" Alice asked after a few minutes of silence.

Bella looked up at her sharply in surprise.

"He's just being considerate," Alice said softly, her voice becoming as serious as Bella had ever heard it. "I'm sure Edward told you, that the family he was with before was very … different."

Bella nodded but remained silent.

"You smell very good," Alice said; a rumble emanating from her chest that Bella had never heard before. "Very good," Alice emphasized, her chest rumbling again in a way that made Bella shiver – thought she didn't want to analyze why. "In a large school with lots of different scents yours blends better, stands out less. But up close, for a prolonged period of time is quite different," Alice said sighing drawing away from Bella a bit as she did. "He had to walk around outside for a while once we got to the hotel," Alice went on, the comment making Bella recall a fleeting memory she had of Alice carrying her into the suite, Jasper no where in sight. "He couldn't do this," Alice said, gesturing at the close proximity of their bodies. "Not yet, anyway. He's just being careful."

Bella nodded, but remained quiet, thoughtful.

"Is it hard for you?" Bella asked softly a few moments later. "Lying here next to me?"

Alice shifted so that her back was flat against the mattress and stared up at the ceiling. "Not as hard as it would be for Jasper, or even Emmett. But it's not as easy for me as it would be for Carlisle, and probably Esme," she admitted. "It's very much the same for me as it is for Edward, I suppose."

"Oh," Bella said, cursing the word as it fell from her lips once more.

Surreptitiously, she glanced over at Alice, studying her features as best she could in the dark. She knew that there was a sexual element to feeding off of humans for vampires, that the scent of certain people aroused their passions and their hunger, as was the case with Edward when it came to her. And as she lay there, gazing at Alice, Bella recalled the way Alice's chest rumbled when she spoke of her scent and couldn't help but wonder if Alice were attracted to her the same way Edward was.

"You're too curious to hold it in for long," Alice said, her voice drawing Bella out of her thoughts.

"What?" Bella asked, blinking rapidly.

"You looked like you were very deep in thought, and with you a series of questions always follows deep thinking," Alice responded smiling softly, letting Bella know that she didn't mind the questions even though she was teasing her.

Bella stared at her for a second, her mind drifting a little as she looked into eyes which almost seemed to be sparkling, even in the darkness.

"Do you …" Bella began before she consciously realized that she was speaking. When she did realize however, she bit down on her lip and shook her head before muttering "Sorry, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

She was 'Plain Jane' Bella Swan from Phoenix, not Marilyn Munroe, and it was ridiculous of her to think that not one, but two, vampires were lusting after her.

"You don't need to be afraid," Alice said when Bella went back to staring at the bed-sheets. "I've been around for a long time, there's almost nothing you could say that would offend me," she continued, smiling encouragingly when Bella glanced over at her.

Bella was silent for a while, fully committed to the idea of saying nothing, but then her curiosity began get the better of her.

"I was just," Bella began looking away again, "I mean, it's probably stupid, and wrong, and … and silly. But when you were talking about how I smell, you kind of purred a little or something, and Edward said that a person's scent can, you know, excite a vampire. Like not just 'thrill of the hunt' excite, but the other kind, you know," she continued feeling her face burning hot and bright as Alice smiled at her. "And, I don't know, I just wondered if you felt that with me, which is probably really stupid, silly and just plain wrong, I know," Bella finished in a rush, her face seconds away from exploding as she stared at the mattress.

"It's not stupid, or silly," Alice said gently, though her tone wasn't enough to coax Bella into looking at her that time. "You're not wrong either," Alice continued which did get Bella to tilt her head up. "Almost all human scents are attractive to us," she continued.

"Almost all?" Bella asked before she could think better of interrupting.

"The sick, the infirm have a repellent effect on most of us," Alice admitted. "Carlisle is very special in many ways," she continued softly, her voice reverent. "But, back to your question," she said, her attention back on Bella once more. "Vampires can feed off of males and females, but when it comes to scent obsessions – when 'we' hunt based on smell – most are drawn to one sex or the other. There are however, some who respond strongly to the scents of both sexes."

"Like you," Bella said, knowing that Alice wouldn't have bothered explaining if it didn't relate to the conversation they'd been having.

"Like me," Alice confirmed.

"So you're … bi-scentual?" Bella asked, unable to stop her lips from curving up into a small smile as she spoke.

"Apt description," Alice replied, "Very droll," continued smiling at Bella before she turned serious once more. "Do you want me to leave?" she asked, knowing that humans could be very funny about this sort of thing, especially the teenage ones.

"No! No," Bella said, her voice a model of indignation. "Of course not," she continued getting the hysterical quality her voice had briefly taken on under control. "I'm not … a scentophobe," she continued smiling, hoping that Alice would find her little joke funny, a flush of relief running through her when Alice smiled back at her. "It doesn't bother me if you like the way I smell," she continued scrunching up her nose as she realized how weird that sounded.

"Good," Alice responded sounding happy, and Bella thought relieved. "You're my first new friend in almost thirty years and I'd have hated to lose you because of your aromatic appeal."

Bella laughed at that, her laughter turning into a yawn halfway through.

"You're still tired," Alice said sounding very pleased with her deduction. Bella thought it was adorable, and had to rein in the urge to hug the other girl, a fleeting thought that Alice might not be the only bi-scentual in the bed coming to her before she forced it to the back of her brain.

"It _is_ 3 a.m.," Bella said yawning again as she glanced at the read out of the alarm clock at the side of the bed.

"Well then, I suppose I shouldn't keep you from it any longer. Sweet dreams," Alice said smiling at Bella once more before she began to move off of the bed.

"Wait, you're going?" Bella asked, barely controlling the urge to reach out of Alice as she spoke. The fact was that she had just gone over half an hour without being seized by fits of blinding terror, and she knew that it was completely due to Alice's presence beside her. She didn't want Alice to go.

Alice turned to look at her. "I can stay," she said remaining where she was seated at the edge of the bed, "if you want."

"I'd like that," Bella said knowing that she wasn't going to get any sleep if Alice left her, and she desperately needed to sleep. "I mean, if you don't mind."

Alice smiled and flung her legs back up onto the mattress before shimmying her way back over to the middle of the bed, her body stilling when she was next to Bella.

"Thanks," Bella said as Alice stilled, her eyes holding the vampire's trying to convey how much it meant to her. "I haven't had a decent nights sleep in what seems like forever."

"You're welcome," Alice said softly, smiling gently in a way that let Bella know that she really didn't mind.

Bella hesitated for a second and then shifted her body until she was lying on her side with her back to Alice. She wasn't going to ask the other girl, but she'd liked it when Alice held her before, and she hoped taking up her former position would encourage Alice to do the same.

It worked, and a few seconds after she turned, Bella felt Alice's arm snake around her waist, and then her back was pressed firmly against Alice's cool body.

Bella breathed in deeply, and closed her eyes; her body relaxing into Alice's embrace as she gave herself over to what she was sure, now, would be a golden slumber.

The End


End file.
